Bilateral meeting with H. E. Martha Viviana Carvajalino Villegas, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development of Colombia

Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met H. E. Martha Viviana Carvajalino Villegas, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development of Colombia at FAO headquarters in Rome on the occasion of the resumed session of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), hosted in FAO.

The Director-General welcomed the Minister and reflected on his many visits to Colombia where he saw firsthand vast biodiversity and immense range of agriculture produce from coffee to flowers to fruits. He also referred to the close collaborative working relationship with H.E. President Petro and other Government Ministers.

The Minister thanked the Director-General for FAO’s support and specified land restoration and livestock production as areas where progress had recently been achieved. The Minister indicated that the main goal was to achieve a better quality of life for producers and consumers with the three desired outcomes being to end hunger, address the climate crisis and build peace. The Minister further emphasized the importance of just and sustainable systems for land and soils.

The Director-General commended Colombia for its Presidency of the CBD COP 16, noting that biodiversity was an important public good, and extending his best wishes for the successful conclusion of discussions. The Director-General further concurred with the Minister on the importance of land policy and looked forward to 2026 as an opportunity for Colombia to celebrate its successes in the context of the UN International Year of the Woman Farmer and the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. Finally, the Director-General emphasized the need for the urgent transformation of global agrifood systems to ensure they are more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.

The Minister responded by outlining Colombia’s ambition to put in place policies to achieve the need transformation and concluded by crediting local communities in Colombia for their important role as custodians of the land.